A Platinum Memoir

October 25, 2014

As many of my readers know, I recently made a huge change in my appearance.

For four years, I had platinum blonde hair...

One day in the fall of 2010, while highlighting my hair, my hair stylist, who is also a dear friend of mine, made the off-hand remark, "You know, Dana, you could totally go all-over platinum." After she said that, there was no going back for me. I knew I was going to take the plunge.

And it was awesome. My hair, literally, had entered into an state of existence that was completely devoid of color. We spent four years together, me and the platinum. Here are the things I loved about it:

1) It was different. NO ONE else I knew had anything close to my hair color. " Sometimes random people would stop me and ask exactly what color it was, as if they had never seen it before. It was exotic.

2) It was my trademark. I loved being referred to as "the platinum blonde over there." It became my signature look and it was the first characteristic mentioned when someone described my appearance to someone else.

3) It was vintage. I had this hairstyle during the height of popularity of the television show Mad Men, when vintage-inspired clothing overtook the world of fashion by storm. And there I was, happily right in the midst of it all, with hair straight out of a 1950's black and white film.

4) It basically carried my whole look. I swear I dressed in black for an entire year. Basics, solids, and neutrals were the bulk of my wardrobe. I didn't have to try that hard to be trendy and bold with my clothing. No matter what I wore, I made a statement with my look and people remembered me because of my hair.

5) I was platinum blonde during the time when I got into the best shape of my life. I was proud of my accomplishments from my hard work in the gym and my discipline with my diet. I was perhaps the most confident I have ever been about my body and my appearance during that phase of my life, and the platinum blonde was very much a part of me then.

6) I got to wear killer short hair cuts that looked awesome. Before I was platinum blonde, I thought short hair made me look unattractive. Over the four years I had platinum hair, I tried a variety of cute short hair cuts that I felt amazing in.

A few months ago, my hair stylist decided to retire from the salon. She had decided to take her career in a different direction.

Things happen in our lives that mold us and change us. We change jobs, move to new cities, enter into and leave relationships, start and finish educational endeavors, and the list continues. I believe that our personal style changes in the same way.

You see, the way we choose to look reflects who we are, where we are in life, what we love, and what is important to us. The same way my friend chose to take a new turn in her career, I decided that I wanted my image to take a new turn. I truly believe that fresh starts are good for everyone. They bring about positiveness, excitement, and new perspectives. As it turned out, I happened to have another friend who is a hairstylist. I went to her and we worked out a plan for a new look!

And now I am a brunette.

It's been so fun to re-discover my "natural" color! Now that I've had brown hair for a few months, I have discovered some unanticipated advantages to brown hair that have been a pleasant surprise:

1) It's healthier. My platinum stylist did an awesome job at giving me platinum locks that were healthy and silky smooth. People were often surprised when they would touch my hair and feel how soft it was. Nevertheless, the bleaching did make my fine hair more tender and vulnerable to breakage, and I was so rough on my hair! My morning styling ritual wreaked daily havoc on my hair. Often, I would accidentally rip out chunks of it while I was heat-styling! It was awful having to wait for sections of my hair to grow back! Now that my hair is dark, this doesn't happen anymore, and it seems to be gaining length more quickly than it used to.

2) I can go lighter on the makeup. When I had platinum hair, because my skin is fair, I HAD to wear makeup all the time, or my face would look washed out. Now that I have more contrast between the color of my hair and skin, I can wear less makeup without looking sick or dead.

3) I can wear a wider variety of colors. Because my platinum hair was such a cool tone, I was limited to wearing only cool colors. If I were to use any warm tones in my clothing or makeup, it literally made me look like I was sick. It has been fun getting to discover and experiment with new colors I like and feel good in!

4) It makes me look more youthful. The platinum, while it was a statement in and of itself, drew more attention to under eye circles, skin discolorations, acne scars, and fine lines. Since my hair was so light and my skin was light, any blemish or flaw stood out ten-fold. This is another reason I had to always make sure I wore plenty of makeup. As a brunette, due to the contrast between my hair and skin, my skin tone tends to look more even and young with less makeup.

5) It looks more conservative. As a rising attorney, as much of a fashionista as I am, I realize that I am entering into a profession that has a very conservative dress code. While I believe the platinum wasn't necessarily "unprofessional," I think brown hair will be a better fit for the type of work I will be doing.

Overall, I am SO HAPPY with my new look! I won't lie. I definitely still miss the platinum sometimes! But I will always remember it as marking a definitive and revolutionary period in my life. During the time I had platinum hair I started a new job, went though a divorce, moved, made monumental fitness achievements, quit smoking, completely changed my diet, and applied for, got accepted to, and completed my first two years of law school!

If you are considering completely changing your look, I encourage you to go for it. There is no substitution for the feeling of re-inventing yourself. I hope if you are considering going lighter or darker, my thoughts and reflections here might be helpful to you in your decision. If you are looking for a great salon to help you change your look I cannot recommend Loxxe on Jones enough. Stephanie is my stylist, but I can vouch for Natalie and Jenna as being equally amazing!

I will end on this note: If lately, you've found yourself in a rut in your life and you want to turn things around, I would propose that you consider re-inventing your image. You would not believe how much of a psychological kick-start a new look can give you! Peace, love, and good hair days!

Great little post +Dana Stone. This is probably the most I've ever read about women's hair fashion, but I'm glad I did, you had some good insights that are applicable to anyone.

Although I'm naturally partial to blondes, I ALWAYS appreciate when women go with what's most natural to them. Like you said, it's healthier, and seems like less maintenance. It looks great on you, too. You're looking even better with age.